Support Center “Best Practices” for all team members
How to access the Support Center. Here is a link that you can bookmark: Link to Support Center
A link is also available on the Centerspace HOME page, as seen below.
There are 3 main areas to the Support Center:
- The Knowledge Base
- The Service Request (SR)
- A Basic Ticket
The #1 bullet above shows the best place to start. If you do not already know what you are looking for, you can search for it here.
We call this the Knowledge Base – This is the Self-help section where you can find articles, how-to’s and QRGs (Quick Reference Guides) to help you resolve many issues on your own. Click on the icon to peruse all available articles. The articles are grouped by these support categories: Information Technology, Talent & Culture, Operations, Marketing, Risk, Facilities, and QRGs (Yardi Support), making them easy to search for.
Here is some idea of what you will find in the Operations Category:
If you are unable to locate an article to help you resolve the issue on your own, the next best option is to search for a relative Service Request or SR. These are customized, form-based requests that make reporting and resolving the issue a more efficient process. You provide all necessary data upfront that the agents needs to complete the task or find the resolution.
Here is a sample of what you will see:
When you first come in, it can be a little daunting.
Searching in the “Search for Service Items” can narrow down your search.
Or you click on the Category that your Service Request (SR) may be located in, which narrows down your search.
The icon-based Service Requests will make the items easier for you to locate and recognize over time.
Now let us see how easy this is…
For this example I will use a Service Request that can be used by any/all team members, the Yardi Access Request.
A few things to make note of: Fields with a red asterisk are required and any pertinent instructions or guidelines may be provided in red or turquoise at the top of the form.
Start by checking the “Request for someone else” box and add the “Request for” if this request is not for you.
Each Service Request will have a “Reason for Request” or similar drop down that will often make additional fields appear that are related to your specific request. In this example, selecting “Change of Access” then asks for the Reason for Change, the Date of the Change, and a box for the explanation.
Once again, note the required fields.
When ready to submit the request, click on the red ‘Place Request’ button at the bottom.
Approvals:
To give you some insights on Approvals…
Not all Service Requests will require approval. There are certain types of requests that will require approval from the requester’s manager prior to the ticket being completed. For IT, these requests would be Hardware and Software requests, as well as Access to specific systems. For Yardi, these requests would be Yardi Access Request or changes, Leasing Specials, and Amenity or Unit-Related Requests.
**Managers should keep an eye out for any approvals that may be required throughout the workday.
Moving on to the final option.
If there was not an article that helped you, and you were not able to find a Service Request that met your needs, there is always the basic ticket request. We do hope that you make this your last resort.
Your email address will auto-populate as the requester. You then select the Priority and “I need help from”, which will be the operational group you need help from.
There are some departments that do not have an option available in the basic ticket as their requests are very specific and only available via a Service Request. Here is a list of those that ARE available:
Once you type in the Issue Summary (or subject) of your request and then tab to the “Issue Description” box a series of related articles will populate on the right side of the window. If you skipped that step, you may find an article there that could help.
Always provide as much detail as you can about an issue you are having. The more info you provide, the less questions we may need to ask. If you are receiving any kind of error message or there is functionality that is not working, it is important that you attach a screenshot, and any links or other specifics may help the agents to diagnose and resolve your issue.
Once you have submitted your ticket you will receive an email from the Support Center confirming receipt. This email will contain a link that you can use to access your ticket to view the status, to view notes, or to communicate with the Agent.
The email will look similar to this:
If you are unable to locate the email in your inbox, you can go to the Support Center and click on the TICKETS link in the blue banner to view and access all of your tickets.
On this screen you can select which of your tickets you wish to view and sort them to find what you need.
Once your ticket has been resolved you will receive a communication similar to this:
The notes provided by the agent regarding the resolution of your ticket will be provided in the area that you see highlighted above.
You will also receive a link to the customer satisfaction survey. We understand how busy your schedules are and how valuable your time is, but it would be greatly appreciated if you would take time to respond to the survey. Your feedback is valuable to the agent as you can just about imagine, and valuable to the support team as well.